Whiskey is a broad classification of alcoholic beverages. The defining characteristic of whiskey is that it’s made from grain that has been fermented and then aged in wooden barrels. Whiskey is often spelled without the “e” in Canada and Scotland, where the drink originated.
The word whiskey is often used interchangeably with the word brandy, but brandy is made from wine, not grain. Rum is distilled from sugarcane juice or molasses. Vodka is distilled from grains but is not aged in wooden barrels. Gin is a potent, juniper-flavored liquor that’s usually sweeter than whiskey.
Barley is the main ingredient in all types of whiskey, but other grains, such as rye, are sometimes used to make rye whiskey. Barley is a cereal grain and the main ingredient in beer. It’s the grain used to make beer, ale, porter, and stout. Barley is used in the making of whiskey because it is what fermentation turns into alcohol.
The Whiskey Making Process At A Glance
- Malting
Malt is simply the general term for the grains that are ground into a meal in a mill. The grains themselves are milled into a fine powder, which is mixed with water and cooked to break down the cellulose walls that contain the starch granules. This gelatinizes the starch, which is then able to be converted into sugars by the yeast during the fermentation process. The resulting wort is a sweet liquid that can then be fermented into beer.
- Mashing
Mashing is the process of mixing cooked grains with malted barley and warm water. This process allows the amylase in the malted barley to convert the starches in the cooked grains into sugars.
- Fermenting
Fermentation is the process by which yeast consumes the sugars in the grain, turning them into alcohol and carbon dioxide. During fermentation, the microbes in the mash release the enzymes that were extracted from the grain during the malting process.
- Distilling
Distilling is the process of converting sugar into alcohol using heat. The first distillers used simple pot stills to make purified spirits. Today, distilleries use either traditional copper stills or modern continuous stills. The process of distillation is the same, the type of still used just depends on what’s available at the time and what the distilleries can afford.
- Aging
The aging process imparts color, flavor, and other characteristics to the whiskey. The barrels used for aging are typically made from oak, which is the preferred wood because it can hold a liquid without leaking.
Production Difference in Scotch and Whiskey
Scotch whisky, commonly referred to simply as scotch, is a type of whisky produced in Scotland. Scotch whisky must be made exclusively from malted barley and fermented only with yeast that has been added to the liquid at its point of distillation.
It may contain no more than thirty-five percent grain whisky, and the remainder must be water. It must be aged in oak barrels for a minimum of three years and a maximum of five. Over time, the liquid seeps into the wood and gives it color.
Some whiskeys age in barrels that were used to age wine, while other whiskeys are aged in new barrels.
The Takeaway
The difference in taste between whiskey and scotch is only because of the maturation process. As it matures, the alcohol becomes smoother because the flavor of the grains becomes more readily discernable.
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